Restaurants
- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Tonikaku (兎に角) at Tonikaku (兎に角)
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
A shop loved by ramen otaku, with thick chewy homemade noodles. The most popular option here is the aburasoba, and for aburasoba in general this is one of the top spots in Tokyo. The master used to work at Hisshouken, a well known shop in Chiba. The smoked chashu here is beloved. Also on the menu is tonkotsu gyokai... More
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
A shop loved by ramen otaku, with thick chewy homemade noodles. The most popular option here is the aburasoba, and for aburasoba in general this is one of the top spots in Tokyo. The master used to work at Hisshouken, a well known shop in Chiba. The smoked chashu here is beloved. Also on the menu is tonkotsu gyokai ramen and tsukemen, and if you do order the aburasoba you can get soup wari (extra soup). The most famous shop in the Matsudo area is Tomita for certain, but this shop is probably a clear #2. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Koujitsu (好日) at Koujitsu (好日)
Recommended bowl: A comfy local spot
Koujitsu welcomes all comers with a laidback, homey atmosphere. The shop is run entirely by local middle-aged women, and one gets the impression that most of the customers are regulars who live or work nearby. Instead of the cramped counter seating common to most Tokyo ramen shops, here you find a large communal... More
Recommended bowl: A comfy local spot
Koujitsu welcomes all comers with a laidback, homey atmosphere. The shop is run entirely by local middle-aged women, and one gets the impression that most of the customers are regulars who live or work nearby. Instead of the cramped counter seating common to most Tokyo ramen shops, here you find a large communal table as the shop centerpiece, with several smaller tables off to the side.
The house specialty is a comforting shoyu ramen and tsukemen with a light niboshi base and simple ingredients. The noodles are handmade and medium-thick; the toppings are very satisfying – especially the egg – if not particularly remarkable. The king here is the soup – a slight niboshi tingle, with an all-natural sweetness. Made with chicken, seven types of vegetables, konbu and niboshi, it's liquid delight. No MSG. Everything gels in this shop. It might not stand out to beginners as a mind-blowing bowl, but you will find yourself coming back again and again.
Koujitsu was among the 22 ramen shops featured in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2015 – not that Michelin's Tokyo ramen knowledge is particularly deep. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at Sugamo at Koike no Iekei
全部入りラーメン / Zenbu-iri Ramen / Koike no Iekei — Sugamo, Tokyo
Yokohama style iekei inspired ramen. Tonkotsu-shoyu soup uses pork bones and chicken carcasses. Noodles are housemade by King Seimen. Topped with low-temperature cooked pork chashu, ajitama, seasoned cabbage, onions, spinach and nori. Gyokai Mix Tsukemen also on the menu,... More
全部入りラーメン / Zenbu-iri Ramen / Koike no Iekei — Sugamo, Tokyo
Yokohama style iekei inspired ramen. Tonkotsu-shoyu soup uses pork bones and chicken carcasses. Noodles are housemade by King Seimen. Topped with low-temperature cooked pork chashu, ajitama, seasoned cabbage, onions, spinach and nori. Gyokai Mix Tsukemen also on the menu, with Negi-cha Gohan (rice bowl) on the side.
Master Mizuhara-san runs multiple shops in Tokyo including Ramen Koike, Chūka Soba Nishino, King Seimen, Tsukemen Kinryū, Aidaya and Hongoen. This is the only shop in the group which serves iekei style ramen. Eight seats. Since October 10th, 2022 @koike_no_iekei Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Tanaka Shouten (田中商店) at Tanaka Shouten (田中商店)
Recommended bowl: Top Hakata tonkotsu
Tanaka Shouten is a landmark on the Tokyo ramen scene. The shop has commanded respect as one of Tokyo's finest Hakata-style tonkotsu shops since its debut in 2000. There's nothing cutting-edge or innovative going on here, just a beautiful authentic bowl of Hakata tonkotsu just as you would find in Fukuoaka City,... More
Recommended bowl: Top Hakata tonkotsu
Tanaka Shouten is a landmark on the Tokyo ramen scene. The shop has commanded respect as one of Tokyo's finest Hakata-style tonkotsu shops since its debut in 2000. There's nothing cutting-edge or innovative going on here, just a beautiful authentic bowl of Hakata tonkotsu just as you would find in Fukuoaka City, Japan's tonkotsu capital – creamy-smooth pork-bone soup; thin straight noodles; negi and wood ear mushroom for toppings.
Standard 'kaedama,' or noodle refill service, is available (just tell the staff 'kaedama' and pay about 100 yen for a second helping of noodles). Additional self-service toppings of pickled ginger, garlic and sesame seeds are on the table.
Fairly huge by Tokyo standards, the shop seats over 35 people. It's also open until 4am. Hakata-tonkotsu is commonly eaten as a late-night snack in Fukuoka. Tanaka Shouten you covered whenever you the pork cravings strike.
Tanaka Shouten now has seven branches in Japan, including another shop nearby named Tanaka Soba, which serves Kitakata-style ramen. All of their shops are respectable, but this is the O.G. and best of them all. Less
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チャーシューサイミン / Char Siu Saimin / Ono Home Kitchen — Kealakekua, Hawaii
Hawaiian style saimin contains a clear soup made from chickens, ginger and celery. Noodles are ordered via a purveyor in Oahu which supplies most of the Chinese restaurants in Hawaii. Topped with Chinese style pork char siu, napa cabbage, broccoli, green onions... More
チャーシューサイミン / Char Siu Saimin / Ono Home Kitchen — Kealakekua, Hawaii
Hawaiian style saimin contains a clear soup made from chickens, ginger and celery. Noodles are ordered via a purveyor in Oahu which supplies most of the Chinese restaurants in Hawaii. Topped with Chinese style pork char siu, napa cabbage, broccoli, green onions and garlic.
Ono Home Kitchen is a family-run Chinese restaurant, offering a wide variety of Cantonese and Hawaiian-fusion dishes, as well as boba milk tea. Previously operated as Beijing Garden for 20+ years, the former proprietor sold the business and property to the current owners around five years ago. Open 9:30am-8pm, seven days a week. 60+ seats. @onohomekitchen Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Kiraboshi (ラーメン きら星) at Kiraboshi (ラーメン きら星)
Recommended bowl: Super thick tonkotsu
Master Hoshino-san trained at several other ramen shops and even spent some time working as a fish monger before opening Kiraboshi in 2004. The soup here is a rich, enveloping tonkotsu, made from 50% pork bones and 50% pork heads. Also in the soup are niboshi, konbu, shiitake mushrooms and salt. The tare is shoyu... More
Recommended bowl: Super thick tonkotsu
Master Hoshino-san trained at several other ramen shops and even spent some time working as a fish monger before opening Kiraboshi in 2004. The soup here is a rich, enveloping tonkotsu, made from 50% pork bones and 50% pork heads. Also in the soup are niboshi, konbu, shiitake mushrooms and salt. The tare is shoyu and the noodles are handmade. Some regular customers say this ramen is like Kurume style meets IEKEI style. Rich and delicious. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Fuji Ramen (富士らーめん) at Fuji Ramen (富士らーめん)
Recommended bowl: New school tonkotsu
Nagasawa-san is a ramen junkie with a solid knowledge of the Tokyo scene. Before opening Fuji Ramen he trained at Yoroiya, another well known shop in Asakusa. Fuji Ramen debuted in 2014. The noodles are homemade, medium-width and straight. Both ramen and tsukemen on the menu. The soup is a light tonkotsu base,... More
Recommended bowl: New school tonkotsu
Nagasawa-san is a ramen junkie with a solid knowledge of the Tokyo scene. Before opening Fuji Ramen he trained at Yoroiya, another well known shop in Asakusa. Fuji Ramen debuted in 2014. The noodles are homemade, medium-width and straight. Both ramen and tsukemen on the menu. The soup is a light tonkotsu base, served with a light shoyu tare. One of the shop's signatures is a topping of boiled cabbage drizzled with mayu (burnt garlic oil). After you've eaten half of your noodles, mix this topping into the soup for a new flavor experience. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Torisoba Mutahiro (鶏そば ムタヒロ 2号店) at Torisoba Mutahiro (鶏そば ムタヒロ 2号店)
Recommended bowl: Kokubunji ramen king!
Muta-san apprenticed at Nagi Golden Gai and Gamushara in Hatagaya – both renowned ramen shops – before opening his own place, Mutahiro, in 2011. His lengthy apprenticeships left him well equipped for success. Mutahiro was an instant hit and Muta-san opened his second shop, Tori-Soba Muthiro, in 2012. In 2013,... More
Recommended bowl: Kokubunji ramen king!
Muta-san apprenticed at Nagi Golden Gai and Gamushara in Hatagaya – both renowned ramen shops – before opening his own place, Mutahiro, in 2011. His lengthy apprenticeships left him well equipped for success. Mutahiro was an instant hit and Muta-san opened his second shop, Tori-Soba Muthiro, in 2012. In 2013, he launched Maze Mutahiro, followed by Kushiage Mutahiro in 2014. All four shops are within a five-minute walk from one another in Kokubunji. This guy has the Kokubunji ramen game on lockdown. In 2015, Muta-san unveiled his first shop in Osaka.
Tori Soba Mutahiro (Muta-san's second shop) is probably his best. The soup is a medium-dark shoyu, coated in a luscious layer of chiyu (chicken oil). The soup is straight bomb and the best thing about this bowl. The 'hirauchi' noodles – a flat, wide, mostly straight style of noodle – are specially ordered from Nagi Golden Gai's private noodle factory. The toppings are the ramen classics: soft-boiled egg, menma, tori chashu and nori. As is customary at all the Mutahiro shops, the staff here wears blue denim overalls, straw hats and colorful plaid shirts. Interesting touch. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at 175° DENO at 175° DENO
Recommended bowl: Sichuan peppercorns
The premier spot for tantanmen in Hokkaido. The name 175 DENO is derived from the master (Deno-san) and the boiling point of ra-yu chili oil (175 degrees). Deno-san previously worked at 15 restaurants in Kyoto, but he always wanted to open a Mapo tofu or Tantanmen shop in Hokkaido. The shop is hidden from the street... More
Recommended bowl: Sichuan peppercorns
The premier spot for tantanmen in Hokkaido. The name 175 DENO is derived from the master (Deno-san) and the boiling point of ra-yu chili oil (175 degrees). Deno-san previously worked at 15 restaurants in Kyoto, but he always wanted to open a Mapo tofu or Tantanmen shop in Hokkaido. The shop is hidden from the street inside a large building, but it's usually easy to spot thanks to the line of customers waiting outside. The interior is dark, almost like a den, with numerous trinkets from around the world decorating the black-walled space. The tantanmen comes with or without soup, and there is also the option of getting it with or without mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns, imported from China. There are three levels: Shibirenai (zero peppercorns), Shibireru (regular), and Sugoku-Shibireru (devil level). The soup is a creamy sesame base, and the bowl comes out spice-laden and topped with chilli oil, minced seasoned meat, and cashew nuts. The broad noodles go great as a vessel for the spices and sauces. Customers can help themselves to the homemade chili oil on the counter. Deno-san now has a couple of branches in Sapporo and other cities in Japan. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Buta Yarou (豚野郎) at Buta Yarou (豚野郎)
Recommended bowl: Tonkotsu gem
Buta Yarou (meaning something along the lines of 'pork dude' or 'pork bastard') serves thick and creamy Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen. The shop is a bit of a hidden gem, but worthy of attention. It's located about halfway between Nakano and Higashi Nakano station, in a quiet residential area with few other restaurants or... More
Recommended bowl: Tonkotsu gem
Buta Yarou (meaning something along the lines of 'pork dude' or 'pork bastard') serves thick and creamy Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen. The shop is a bit of a hidden gem, but worthy of attention. It's located about halfway between Nakano and Higashi Nakano station, in a quiet residential area with few other restaurants or businesses around.
The noodles and toppings are Hakata standard issue. What sets Buta Yarou apart is its soup: pure creamy, velvety, porky pleasure. It's almost chalky, in a good way. It's also somewhat lighter than most tonkotsu soups. Buta Yarou serves up to 99 bowls of tonkotsu ramen each day. Once bowl 99 is served, the shop closes. Less